Open Eyes
by sweet-surrender5
Summary: GSR.I really liked how Chasing Cars worked out, so I decided to make it a collection! Includes lyrics from new and old Snow Patrol songs.
1. Open Your Eyes

a/n: Okay, I just posted this and it got screwed up so I'm re-posting it now. Anyway, I really liked the way Chasing Cars worked out, so I decided to make it a while series of ficlets! May I present...

**Open Eyes; A Lyrical Series**

_Oh, and none of the lyrics or characters belong to me._

* * *

**_Chapter One: Open Your Eyes_**

The interrogation was a hard one. Grissom sat in the cold hard steel chair, his hand gripped tightly around his pen. Sara sat next to him, the suspect across the table. It was silent. Terrible silence.

"Did you kill her?" He asked, his voice quiet, but firm.

More silence greeted them. He wished so hard that that man would stop looking at Sara. He was just staring at her. He had been for the past half hour. All he did was stare at her. Kudos were due to to her though, because she had not squirmed once. But Grissom wanted him to stop so badly.

_Those eyes are mine to look at…_He thought to himself. But then he realized in that terrible silence that really, they weren't. What was to say that her beautiful eyes were for him only? They had no set relationship; they had no 'title'. It had finally hit Grissom that Sara wasn't his. Sara wasn't with him.

Sara was Sara.

**_All this feels strange and untrue  
And I won't waste a minute without you  
My bones ache, my skin feels cold  
And I'm getting so tired and so old_****… **

"Yes," The man said. He said it so softly that it sounded like air escaping a miniscule hole in a tire. His lips barely moved when he spoke, neither did his eyes. They were trained on Sara. Her eyes were closed, her head bowed so that her chin almost touched her chest.

Grissom felt sick. How this guy could have brutally murdered three of his ex-wife's children, he had no idea. People were twisted. That was the cold hard truth. Grissom had known this for so long. He'd dealt with it somehow. But lately…lately he couldn't deal with it anymore. But he knew one thing that had always helped him with the pain…

Sara.

**_The anger swells in my guts  
And I won't feel these slices and cuts  
I want so much to open your eyes  
'Cause I need you to look into mine…_**

Ever since she'd come to Vegas, after every hard case all he had to do was just think of her face; her smile, her eyes…Seeing it was an added bonus. But he'd held back. He hadn't done anything about a relationship. He'd been perfectly fine just sitting back and watching her from afar. Having her around was enough for him. He didn't want more.

But lately he'd been craving more. Needing more. He needed to see her, to look her in the eye, to touch her skin. It was getting too much for him not to. Somewhere between bringing her to Vegas and being in this interrogation room, he'd become infatuated with her._  
_  
**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes _**

**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes _**

**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes _**

**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes… _**

Grissom could no longer take nights alone, with the thought of her as his only solace. He couldn't take hard cases without someone to lean on. He couldn't take seeing her break down again.

He looked over at her again in those few seconds. Her eyes were closed, her fingers playing across the top of the photo envelope. She was keeping control, she was meditating, she was fighting the pain. She was doing everything that he couldn't.

**_Get up, get out, get away from these liars  
'Cause they don't get your soul or your fire  
Take my hand, knot your fingers through mine  
And we'll walk from this dark room for the last time_…**

He wanted to grab her by the hand and take her away from this madman, away from the interrogation room, away from PD. He wanted to hold her and tell her he was sorry for being such an ass to her. To tell her how many times she'd unknowingly comforted him.

**_Every minute from this minute now  
We can do what we like anywhere  
I want so much to open your eyes  
Cause I need you to look into mine..._**

He longed to look into her eyes and tell her that everything would be fine. He wanted to look into their deep brown depths and see something that every time he'd done it before, he'd refused to see.

A future._  
_  
**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes _**

**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes _**

**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes _**

**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes _**

**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes _**

**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes _**

**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes _**

**_Tell me that you'll open your eyes… _**

He wanted her. And that was all there was to it.

**_All this feels strange and untrue  
And I won't waste a minute without you…_**


	2. Set Fire to the Third Bar

a/n: another chapter :)

* * *

**_Chapter Two; Set Fire To The Third Bar_**

She finished shift early that night. All she had was B&E that was wrapped up in under 2 hours. The rest was spent doing paperwork and such. Paperwork. Always so much paperwork. She sat in the break room, filling out lines and lines of names, dates, titles and procedures.

She heard someone enter the room. Well, not just anyone exactly. It was Grissom. She could tell. He had this odd sort of _presence _when he walked into a room. Even if it was full of hundreds of people, Sara would know if he was there.

**_I find the map and draw a straight line  
Over rivers, farms, and state lines  
The distance from here to where you'd be… _**

He walked past her to the coffeepot, where he proceeded to make himself a cup. She watched his face over the top of her paper as he made it. His wrinkled (but still nonetheless chiseled and handsome) face got her every time. She always wanted to reach out, to touch it…She'd done it only once, but once it had happened, she wanted to even more.

**_It's only finger-lengths that I see  
I touch the place where I'd find your face  
My finger in creases of distant dark places… _**

She watched him for a while, until he finished making his coffee and headed towards the table. He was oblivious to the fact that Sara had been watching him. He just sat down, his eyes flicking up to her once, and then he picked up a crossword and a pen, and was lost.

She wanted to ask him what he was doing after shift. But the memory of what had happened that last time she did that was just too painful. She had been denied, dejected…he didn't feel the same.

Yet he would lead her on.

With a sigh, she left the room and the lab. She started the car, having no idea where she was headed.**_  
_**  
**_I hang my coat up in the first bar  
There is no peace that I've found so far  
The laughter penetrates my silence  
As drunken men find flaws in science _**

She downed one beer in less than 2 minutes, watching as the late-night scum of Vegas danced in full force in front of her. Everyone having a good time, except her of course. All she could think of was how pointless the last six years had been. She'd come to Vegas for him and now look at her. Nothing had changed. She was still that reckless, broken woman that she'd been before.

****

Their words mostly noises  
Ghosts with just voices  
Your words in my memory  
Are like music to me…

_"Since I met you…" _

All Grissom had done was tug her around on a string, whether he meant to or not. He'd taunted her with looks and offhanded comments. He'd made her spend countless days and nights drinking her pain away and thinking about what he said, what he meant…

By the time she'd started the rum and coke, she was fighting the urge to go back to the lab and slap him. A man came up to her, breaking her stream of thoughts by waving a twenty in her face.

"You wanna good time, chickie?" he asked. Disgusted, she decided that she'd had enough at this bar.

**_  
I'm miles from where you are,  
I lay down on the cold ground  
I, I pray that something picks me up  
And sets me down in your warm arms… _**

The second bar was seedier than the first. She already had that fuzzy feeling, but she ordered another beer anyway. The drive from the first bar had cleared her head a little, the anger seeping out. It was probably just the alcohol circulating, but now all she could think of Grissom; the one thing she couldn't have.

God, she'd wanted him for so long. Every day since the first in Vegas had been like torture. She'd fallen so hard for those blue eyes and those confident hands. Every moment of seeing them had made her want to kiss every inch of his palms, to be able to look into those blue eyes and see him looking back – really looking back.

She just wanted him to be with her so badly…****

After I have traveled so far  
We'd set the fire to the third bar  
We'd share each other like an island  
Until exhausted, close our eyelids  
And dreaming, pick up from  
The last place we left off  
Your soft skin is weeping  
A joy you can't keep in…

Downing the last of her second beer of the night, she slammed it down on the bar. Visions of Grissom were floating through her head, in front of her eyes. She was just drunk enough to be able to imagine feeling his hands around her thin waist. ****

I'm miles from where you are,  
I lay down on the cold ground  
And I, I pray that something picks me up  
and sets me down in your warm arms…

Smiling drunkenly to herself, she started to peel off the label on the beer bottle. This is why she drank, she remembered. This feeling when she could be in her own little world where everything she wanted was close enough to touch, close enough to grasp. ****

And miles from where you are,  
I lay down on the cold ground  
and I, I pray that something picks me up  
and sets me down in your warm arms…

A bar fight broke out then, and she slid off the stool. She wobbled over to the door and left the bar on numbing feet.

It was time to go.


	3. Headlights on Dark Roads

a/n: SO, seeing as i can't count, i forgot to add this chapter. damnit.

* * *

**_Chapter Three; Headlights on Dark Roads_**

Her subconscious told her she shouldn't be behind the wheel.

_Screw it, _she thought, and pushed the pedal down a little harder. She didn't know where she was driving once more. When her hands told her to turn, she turned. When her feet said faster, the car went faster.

**_For once I want to be the car crash  
Not always just the traffic jam  
Hit me hard enough to wake me  
And lead me wild to your dark roads… _**

She was just over the speed limit now, watching as streetlights whizzed by her and blinked into the darkness, one by one. The slants of slight that striped by her dashboard were almost mesmerizing. Light, shadow, light, shadow…

Downtown bars and businesses soon faded into seedy houses, which faded into trees, and eventually desert. No more streetlights remained. Just the brightly colored reflective paint of road signs and other car's headlights to light her path.****

Headlights... before me  
So beautiful, so clear  
Reach out... and take it  
'Cause I'm so tired of all this fear…

She was heading towards the Lab, she realized. She was going towards were Grissom, no doubt would be. Why? She had no idea. She had no control over what she was doing any longer. What was she going to do, exactly? March into the lab and tell him the truth? That she'd fallen for him the moment he'd turned those broad shoulders in her direction so many years ago? ****

My tongue is lost, oh, I can't tell you  
Please just see it in my eyes  
I pull up thorns from our ripped bodies  
And let the blood fall in my mouth…

The car before her was getting closer. Evil red eyes stared back at her, unblinking. She squinted at them, watching in wonder as they went from fuzzy to sharp, fuzzy to sharp, always fuzzy for longer. She was dizzy, fighting for control. Fuzzy was taking over… ****

Headlights... before me  
So beautiful, so clear  
Reach out... and take it  
'Cause I'm so tired of all this fear…

The car swerved as she jerked the wheel, realizing that she hadn't seen the sign for the sharp turn. Her tires squealed and the car turned in the nick of time. Somehow, she managed to get the car into the shoulder and stopA familiar sound reached her ears then, followed by a pulling in the pit of her stomach. Colorful lights danced on her face, reflected in the rearview mirror.****

Headlights... before me  
So beautiful, so clear  
Reach out... and take it  
'Cause I'm so tired of all this fear…

"'Scuse me, ma'am. Can I have your license and proof of insurance?"


	4. OnOff

_**

* * *

**_

Chapter Four; On/Off

I couldn't believe what I was seeing…

"Let's have dinner. Let's see what happens," Sara said to him as he was leaving his office that night. He had been shocked by her sudden proposal, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to say no, but yes couldn't seem to force itself to his lips either. He'd panicked, said the first thing that came to his head.

"I don't know what to do about this," Grissom had told her. It was the truth, but not the whole story. Now he was sitting with her in PD, watching her hang her head in silence.

**_Faces all screwed up like what I'd done  
I didn't mean to hurt you so much  
I knew it would hurt you but not like this  
We all make a mess from time to time, dear…_**

Had he really brought her to do this? Had he hurt her this bad that she'd want to drink her problems away? My God, he'd made her into an alcoholic. He'd denied her out of fear of what would happen if he didn't. She had said 'let's see what happens'. But he didn't want to see. He wanted to _know _what would happen. By making that choice, he'd made her end up here…

**_But it'll take me a lifetime to get this cleared  
Somebody muttered something under their breath  
But I let on like I was a little deaf  
Nobody's perfect, that's what I say  
No one has hurt me so much you say…_**

He had been going deaf. He had to have an operation to stop him from going completely deaf in one ear. He was nervous about it. What would life be like if he turned out like his mother? Not being able to do his job, not being able to listen to music, or the sounds of bugs buzzing in the desert at night.

Not being able to hear Sara's voice.

**_I'm sorry  
Running away seemed like the easy thing to do because I wanted time…_**

He had wanted time to think about this. He didn't tell Sara why he couldn't handle being with her then. It wasn't fair to her, he realized now. So many things had been going through his head. He wasn't ready for a relationship then; she couldn't have picked a worse day to ask him.

**_To put a smile back on your face  
For once nothing's missing and I feel fine  
I was afraid to tell you some things…_**

He hadn't wanted to tell her. What would she think? Would she understand? Would she freak out? Would she bring only more pain on herself and be pitying? He didn't want to find out. It just seemed all that much easier to keep it from her, from everybody.

But that hadn't worked. Catherine had known. She'd seen him in the hospital; she'd figured it out…

**_But some things all find a way to get told  
Hearing it from the lips of somebody else  
Must have knocked the wind out of your sweet chest…_**

Sitting beside her now, he knew that he'd been unfair to her. He'd brought her pain. But there was really no way to fix that. He'd denied her, left her sad and broken. And he still had no idea how to make everything better.

With a sigh, Grissom grabbed her hand.

"C'mon. I'll take you home."


	5. All That I Have

a/n: thanks for reading guys! (and if anyone is wondering, The World's On Fire will be updated soon, but I've been really busy, so it may be a while...sorry!)

* * *

**_Chapter Four; All That I Have_**

This was the night that would change it all.

It started out a night of terror and pain, of fear and anxiety. Neither could have foreseen how it would end. Neither even tried to for fear of thinking of Nick's fate, nevertheless their own.

They stood staring after the path of the ambulance, long after Ecklie and the rest of team had left. It was just the two of them, Grissom and Sara. Not a word was said for a while. Complete silence, each alone with their thoughts of what had just happened. How they had both very nearly lost someone that was close to them. Both wondering what it would be like if it happened to the other…

**_Strain this chaos turn it into light  
I've got to see you one last night  
Before the lions take their share  
Leave us in pieces, scattered everywhere… _**

Sara began to feel the cold, but she didn't move. She didn't want to move away from Grissom. She didn't want to be alone, she didn't want to leave him alone. And if that meant staying there all night, she would. If it meant staying rooted to that spot for the next century, she would.

But she didn't have to, because she felt his large hand slip into hers as he repeated those few words he'd said to her once before;

"C'mon. I'll take you home."****

Just give me a chance to hold on  
Give me a chance to hold on  
Give me a chance to hold on  
Just give me something to hold onto…

**_  
_**When he'd said that he'd take her home, she assumed that he meant bring her to her apartment. So when he pulled his car in front of his townhouse, she was slightly surprised. She turned to him and opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted her before anything could come out.

"I don't think either of us should be alone right now," He'd said softly. Sara just nodded, following as he got out of the car. She had no idea what he was doing, but she was so shell shocked that she just went along with it. He was her only comfort, and she wasn't about to let that go.

**_  
It's so clear now that you are all that I have  
I have no fear 'cause you are all that I have  
It's so clear now that you are all that I have  
I have no fear 'cause you are all that I have…_**

When they got inside, Grissom took off his shoes and she did the same. He didn't move for a moment, he just stared at her, her brown eyes staring back. The next thing she knew, his lips were on hers and her back was being pressed against the door. She kissed him back fiercely, almost seven years of unreleased passion flowing between them, cutting deep like the Colorado River flowing through the Grand Canyon. As his hands worked their way into her hair, tears fell down her cheeks. They were wiped away almost immediately by willing lips.

"Sara…" His voice was soft but wavering, "I'm giving you a chance to leave right now. Because after this, I don't think I could handle being without you tonight."

She practically melted in his arms.

"Kiss me again."

With a groan of thankfulness, he did so, his fingers digging into her waist. Something had snapped inside of him and he couldn't take it anymore. Screw that fifteen year age gap, the work ethics code, the fact that Greg had an immense crush on her…He wanted her, and tonight that was all that mattered.  
**_  
You're cinematic razor sharp  
A welcome arrow through the heart  
Under your skin feels like home  
Electric shocks on aching bones…_**

Moaning and mumbling, they stumbled into his townhouse, Grissom's hands now on the bare skin of her hips. How he'd stopped himself from this sweet feeling of release, he didn't know. All that was driving him was the feel of her skin and the taste of her lips, the few private moments that they had shared, his fuel.

Both wanted this, both _needed _this. It had been a long night. A long six years. ****

Give me a chance to hold on  
Give me a chance to hold on  
Give me a chance to hold on  
Just give me something to hold onto…

He ended up pushing her against the support pillar in the middle of his townhouse, slipping her sweater from around her arms. He grabbed both of her hands suddenly, holding them above her head and kissing her hard. His jaw dropped and closed in a thick rhythm that had her leaning her body into him.

**_  
It's so clear now that you are all that I have  
I have no fear 'cause you are all that I have  
It's so clear now that you are all that I have  
I have no fear 'cause you are all that I have…_**

If he didn't have her now…If Grissom didn't have her in his house right now, if he wasn't with her…

He had no idea how he would have survived.

"God, Sara…I'm sorry…" He mumbled into her neck, hot bursts of air hitting her sensitive skin.

"Doesn't matter now…Just--" She gasped as Grissom's hips pushed her tighter against the pillar, "Please…"

All of a sudden, he stopped kissing her neck and stepped back for a moment, looking her straight in the eyes. Dark eyes, deep, beautiful, full of want…****

There is a darkness deep in you  
A frightening magic I cling to…

"Jesus, you're gorgeous…" he said, with a slight shake of his head. She almost laughed, but he grabbed her hand and she was finding herself following himself to his bedroom. As the crossed the threshold, he turned to her once more, his eyes pleading.

"Please tell me you want this."

She nodded and he kissed her warmly, softer than before, laying her down on the bed as gently as possible.

**_  
Give me a chance to hold on  
Give me a chance to hold on  
Give me a chance to hold on  
Just give me something to hold onto… _**

She'd never forget any moment of that night. The way his eyes felt on her, the way that she could feel his heart beating painfully fast in this chest…The way he cried out her name and bit his lip, tightening his fingers around hers.****

It's so clear now that you are all that I have  
I have no fear now you are all that I have  
It's so clear now that you are all that I have  
I have no fear now you are all that I have…

And when they lay together, staring at the ceiling, that's what they realized.


	6. Run

a/n: Okay, FLASHBACK TIME!! My wonderful, awesome, hilarious beta **TRODDENBLACK **said that she wanted a songfic to "Run" for Christmas...

Wellll here it is, for your enjoyment and deticated to **TroddenBlack **as an early Christmas present.

* * *

**_Chaper Five; Run_**

"Just a few more minutes, Griss…" She mumbled against his lips. His smiled, stroking her hair with one hand, the other supporting his weight as he sat on the bed.

"I gotta go soon, Sara…Airport…Can't miss my flight…" he managed to say between soft kisses. He really hated to leave her, but going to Williams just seemed…well, sort of necessary. He was on the edge, getting migraines, falling to pieces. He needed a break. But he hated to leave Sara…

**_I'll sing it one last time for you  
Then we really have to go  
You've been the only thing that's right  
In all I've done…_**

He eventually made himself stop kissing her and grabbed his bags. It really was time to go. There were mosquitoes at Walden Pond waiting for him, and she was only making things harder. He got into the car, waiting as she folded herself into the passenger seat and buckled up before he started. ****

And I can barely look at you  
But every single time I do  
I know we'll make it anywhere  
Away from here…

He didn't want to look at her for fear of seeing her break down. He knew that she likely wouldn't (in front of him, at least). But he didn't know if he could stand looking at her and knowing that he wouldn't be able to see her for over a month.****

Light up, light up  
As if you have a choice  
Even if you cannot hear my voice  
I'll be right beside you dear…

He wanted to say something comforting, but he couldn't find the words. He just stared ahead at the road until the car was sitting in a parking space outside McCarran Airport. He swallowed hard before turning towards her.

"You know I'll miss you, right?" He asked softly. She forced a smile.

"Well I was hoping that would be the case..."

Grissom laughed and leaned in to kiss her softly on the cheek.

"We better go..."

**_Louder louder  
And we'll run for our lives  
I can hardly speak I understand  
Why you can't raise your voice to say..._**

They headed through the parking lot in silence. It was tearing Grissom up to leave. But it would tear him upof he didn't go. he sighed. Always stuck between a rock and hard place. Sneaking a sideways glance at her, he noticed that her soft brown hair had fallen in front of her face. He reached out a hand and tucked it behind her ear as they entered the terminal.

He wanted to be able to look at her for as long as possible.

**_To think I might not see those eyes  
Makes it so hard not to cry  
And as we say our long goodbye  
I nearly do..._**

"So this is it..." he said, trying vainly to stop his voice from cracking. Sara just toyed with the zipper of his luggage, standing in the line for tickets. She wouldn't look at him, and it pained him to see it.

"Come on, Sar...I'll be back in a few weeks," he tried to reason with her. She looked up at him then, her eyes a little watery. But he could not deny seeing that familiar spark he'd grown to love. He leaned in, gently pressing his forehead to hers.

**_Light up..._**

"Go out with Greg or Nicky and have fun...I'll be back before you know it," He said with a sad smile, "Or take up cockrach racing. Herbert and his pals could use some extra training..."

He heard her laugh a little, but he still couldn't mistake the small sob and a sniff at the end of it. He ran his hands up and down her arms. A small tear landed on his forearm and he knew that she'd started to cry. He didn't say anything, but he pulled her into a tight hug, only letting her go when he had to get his ticket.

**_Slower slower  
We don't have time for that  
All I want is to find an easier way  
To get out of our little heads..._**

He'd changed so much because of being with Sara. He was happier, more social...he even found himself being more empathetic with the victims -- a trait he was unsure of if it was good or bad. But he'd changed many of his habits, too. Cooking veggie meals instead of steak, showering as soon as he got in from work...waking up to a warm bed with someone next to him. She'd even forced him to go to bed earlier -- because now he actually _liked _going to bed for the night...

Being without her after he'd changed so much was going to be 'interesting' to say the least. to be honest, he was a little afraid of returning to his old crotchety self.

But when she suddenly took his face in her hands and kissed him for a few long minutes, he knew that when he got back, he wouldn't change. He loved her too much.

**_Have heart my dear  
We're bound to be afraid  
Even if it's just for a few days  
Making up for all this mess..._**

Evetually they pulled apart and Grissom gave her a parting hug, whispering as many 'I love you's and 'I'll miss you's as he could fit into one breath. He stared to walk backwards towards the gate, watching her as he retreated.

"Don't forget to feed Herb and the others..." He called and she laughed, embarrased at the amount of liquid spinging out of her eyes. He waved and mouthed one last "I love you" and then he was gone.


End file.
